1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to animal feed hoppers for distributing animal feed into an elongated feeding trough. More specifically, the present invention relates to a feed hopper for moving along the length of an elongated feed trough and dispensing animal feed into the trough and which is capable of detecting an accumulation of feed in the trough and shutting off the flow of feed from the hopper to the trough when the hopper encounters an accumulation of feed in the trough.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the production of eggs from chickens and other fowl, the birds can be contained in cages which are arranged in long rows of individual cages, each cage being capable of housing several birds. These cage rows are often stacked vertically, one row upon the other, in order to maximize use of space.
Automatic equipment is used to feed and water the birds, to remove manure from the cages and to collect eggs from the cages. The feeding of the birds in large scale poultry operations is often accomplished by distributing food into an elongate U-shaped trough which extends externally along the length of each row of a plurality of rows of cages and into which bulk feed is distributed. The feed can be distributed either manually or by a bulk feed distribution machine which travels the length of each trough, distributing bulk feed into the trough. In facilities employing feed distribution machines, predetermined amounts of feed are dispensed by metering devices in the movable feed distribution machines and then progressively distributed by the feed distribution machines into the feed troughs in a continuous flow over the length of the trough. At periodic intervals, the distribution machines automatically fill themselves at one end of the trough and then traverse the length of the trough and replenish the supply of feed in the trough by distributing the predetermined amount of feed into the trough.
Birds at various stages of their growth consume different quantities of feed, so that birds in the most rapidly growing stage of their lives consume greater quantities than extremely small birds or mature birds. Individual birds also have differing feed requirements; some birds are naturally more aggressive than others and consume voraciously while shoving smaller or weaker birds of similar age aside when food is distributed. Consequently, it has proven difficult to automatically and efficiently distribute poultry feed along a feeding trough in many large scale poultry raising operations. The problem is especially acute in poultry raising facilities which house birds of greatly differing ages and sizes in the same row of cages. Insufficient quantities of feed are often distributed to cages housing several rapidly growing birds, while food accumulates in areas of the trough adjacent to empty cages, cages only having one or two birds, and cages having very small birds. The indiscriminate metered distribution of feed by conventional feed distribution machines thus often results in wastage due to excessive distribution of feed where it is not needed or where the feed has not been consumed for some reason.
Conventional animal feed distribution devices are constructed to distribute predetermined amounts of feed into the feed trough without regard to the accumulation of feed in the trough. U.S. Pat. No. 3,561,404 discloses an animal feeder which distributes feed into a feeding trough by means of a sweep shuttle which sweeps granular feed from a central distribution point and urges the feed along the length of the trough with a reciprocating motion. This approach, however, provides no method for determining whether excess feed has accumulated in certain areas of the trough or is deficient in other areas.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,156,215 discloses an apparatus for dispensing feed into a trough by discharging the feed into the trough at a predetermined rate from a bulk container so that similar quantities of feed are distributed evenly at successive positions along the trough. Although the feed is metered into predetermined quantities for distribution, no technique is disclosed for preventing discharge of the predetermined amount at a position having an accumulation of feed which has not been consumed.